On February 8, 2024, Sussex Police received a report of two men hanging around a residential area in balaclavas.
Officers apprehended the pair and found one had a machete down the leg of his trousers.
He was Mekai Brown, now 19, of Higham Road in Woodford Green.
His accomplice was Michael King, now 18, of Crescent Road in South Woodford.
In their car, police also found a claw hammer and a chisel.
CCTV – the gun-firing teenager sentenced on Tuesday (Image: Essex Police) Five months later, both took part in a gang war which terrorised Southend, clashing with knives, machetes and a gun in front of petrified families during the school summer holidays.
Ten members of two rival Newham gangs, caught for their involvement in the “savage” violence, were all between 14 and 18 years old – but between them already had convictions for 29 offences.
“The system is broken,” said businessman Nick Singer, who helped catch one of the thugs.
Mr Singer and some of his colleagues detained Tyler Omo-Irogho, now 19, of Clarendon Road, Watford.
On Monday, the Echo was in court as prosecutor Gregory Wedge revealed Omo-Irogho had convictions for 11 prior offences, yet had consistently evaded serious punishment.
For possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence in summer 2023, he was given a referral order.
The gun was treated as “imitation”, said Mr Wedge, because it was never recovered, so police couldn’t prove it was real.
In October 2023, Omo-Irogho was twice caught carrying zombie knives. He received a supervision order and a curfew.
Three months later, he was caught with a 15-inch machete. He again received a supervision order.
“That’s so disappointing,” said Mr Singer. “I’m a little bit speechless, to be honest. They’ve got all this previous and they’ve been allowed to walk the streets. I’m shocked.
“The level of violence in their lives – that should have been dealt with there and then. It’s disappointing that the courts haven’t dealt with these incidents, which has led on to other serious incidents and disruption to local businesses.”
In a statement read to the court this week, Mr Singer said the violence had “tarnished” Southend’s reputation and cost local businesses “millions and millions of pounds”.
His upset was compounded when he heard of all the missed opportunities to take more severe action against so many of those involved.
In another incident, he and a group of accomplices, wearing balaclavas, pulled a machete on a 12-year-old.
Police later found videos of the gang posing with machetes and firearms.
In a third incident, police found cannabis, deal bags, cash and a zombie knife in the boy’s home.
Another boy, from Woodford, was 16 when he drew a gun in Southend High Street and later fired it at rival gang members outside the city’s Forum library last July.
At sentencing, it was revealed the teen had previously been involved in another shooting near a Dagenham pizza restaurant.
He was “seen holding up the firearm, pointing it towards a group of males, and smoke coming out from it,” said Mr Wedge.
Convicted of possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition without a certificate, he received a referral order.
In May 2023, the boy had also threatened somebody with a knife after accusing them of “moving on his girl”.
“He put the knife to the victim’s neck and he told the group to start recording,” said Mr Wedge.
He remained free two months later to participate in the Southend violence.
Lucas Braga, now 18, of Pitchford Street in Stratford, received a referral order for possessing a Rambo knife “on a bench near a children’s play area” three months before the Southend incident.
Isaac Bello, now 18, had also been caught with a knife two months before the Southend brawl.
Hamza Dinbil, now 18, was caught in public with a zombie knife less than a year before the clash.
Another boy, 16 at the time of the Southend incident, had three 2022 convictions for robbery, possessing a 20cm knife and possessing a 15-inch machete. He did not receive a custodial sentence.
On Tuesday, the ten defendants received a combined 34 years behind bars.
Sentencing judge Samantha Cohen had to tell some of the defendants off for “sniggering” as their previous convictions were read out.
“It’s surprising that these clear patterns of behaviour have not resulted in previous custodial sentences,” said Labour council leader Daniel Cowan.
“Perhaps if they had, much of what happened last year could have been avoided.
“I think the justice system clearly needs an overhaul and some support. There do need to be tougher sentences.”
